Mr. Pouliot's Grade 3 Class

Monday, January 7, 2019

Starting this week, we will be beginning a new homework to routine to focus on math problem solving and spelling skills, along with some writing and reading. We will be returning to using the homework on the slidedeck that we used in the beginning of the year with a few changes to help make things easier for students to complete their tasks.

First, a homework folder is going home today with blank paper in it for students to complete their homework on. Each week, please have your child complete the homework for the week indicated in the slidedeck. There will be some math problems each week to solve, a writing task, some spelling practice, and a link to a Readworks.org reading task. The readworks task can be completed online.

Finally, I have changed the spelling program to one that includes more opportunities for students to practice word pattern and phonics skills. Students will receive the list each week on Monday, and we will have our quiz on Friday. We will be practicing spelling in class as well as for homework.

If you have any questions about the new homework routine, please let me know, and I will be happy to assist in any way.

Happy New Year! With the New Year upon us, I have planned some fun new experiences for the students. As you know, in February, we will be snowshoeing in Gatineau Park for a field trip. We have a class set of snowshoes at St. Anne, so I am hoping to give the students an opportunity to practice before our adventure in February.

We will also be going to Swim to Survive starting February 19th, and Ms. Teevens will be returning to us for her practicum beginning February 19th until the week after the March Break.

Important Dates: January 25 - PD Day

Math:

We are beginning our unit on Data Management. These are the overall expectations for this unit:

Demonstrate an ability to organize objects into categories, by sorting and classifying objects using two or more attributes simultaneously .

Collect data by conducting a simple survey about themselves, their environment, issues in their school or community, or content from another subject;

Collect and organize data and display the data in charts, tables, and graphs (including vertical and horizontal bar graphs), with appropriate titles and labels and with labels ordered appropriately along horizontal axes, as needed, using many-to-one correspondence (e.g., in a pictograph, one car sticker represents 3 cars; on a bar graph, one square represents 2 students)

Read data presented in charts, tables, and graphs, then describe the data using comparative language, and describe the shape of the data.

Interpret and draw conclusions from data presented in charts, tables, and graphs;

Demonstrate an understanding of mode, and identify the mode in a set of data.

In this unit, students will be practicing sorting data using a Venn diagram, conducting surveys with classmates, and reading and interpreting data on bar graphs and pictographs.

Language:

Writing- We are starting our unit on Persuasive writing. When students write paragraphs, I am looking for an opening sentence, at least three examples, a detail for each example, and a closing sentence. I also ask students to focus on writing conventions (using capital letters, using a personal dictionary or word wall for spelling, making sure sentences make sense). For our Persuasive writing unit, I will continue to focus on these important aspects of a good paragraph and will introduce students to “persuasive” adjectives. Our final assessment for this unit will be to create and present a poster about their favourite book.

Reading - Our focus for Reading this month will be on finding the Main Idea in a passage as well as Making Inferences in what we read. Students will continue to practice with short EQAO reading passages. We are also continuing to read the novel Wonder as a class.

Pen Pals - We are soon going to be communicating with a class Grade 3 class at St. Gregory. Students will be sending and receiving letters from their friends. This is a meaningful way for students to practice the skill of friendly letter writing.

Science:

We are now beginning our unit on Natural Forces. Students are learning about natural forces such as gravity, magnetism, erosion, and friction. We will be performing some simple experiments to show how these forces affect our lives.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about anything in the classroom or in this newsletter, please let me know and I will be happy to discuss with you.

Sunday, December 16, 2018

Our class has been studying time and temperature over the past few weeks. On Wednesday morning we will be having our time and temperature test for this unit, so that we can begin a new unit when we come back from the holidays.

The concepts covered in the test are:

relating units of measurement for time:

60 seconds in a minute

60 minutes in an hour

24 hours in a day

7 days in a week

about 4 weeks in a month, or about 30 days

365 days in a year, or 12 months or 52 weeks

telling time to the nearest 5 minutes

reading temperature on thermometers

understanding benchmarks for temperature - in class we say "30 is hot, 20 is nice, 10 is cool, 0 is ice"

In the homework on the sidebar I have attached a time and temperature review. It is only there to assist parents and students in studying for our test, which will be mostly made up of old EQAO questions on time and temperature. You do not have to complete the entire package. Work on the parts that seem most difficult for your child. In grade 3, we tell time to the nearest 5 minutes, so if any of the clocks look like they are pointing to something other than a 5 minute mark, it is actually trying to point to the nearest 5 minute mark.

This has been a fairly easy unit for students, so I suspect everyone will do well. The review sheets are provided simply if you wish to review with your child.

Sunday, December 2, 2018

It is hard to believe that there are only 3 weeks of school left before the Christmas Holidays! It will be a busy 3 weeks, but with lots of fun activities. I will try to keep this short as I continue to inform you of all that is happening via the website and Twitter feed.

Math

We have pretty much wrapped up our Patterning Unit in Math and will be moving on to Measurement. The expectations that we will focus on are:

– read time using analogue clocks, to the nearest five minutes, and using digital clocks

– estimate, read and record positive temperatures to the nearest degree Celsius

– identify benchmarks for freezing, cold, cool, warm, hot, and boiling temperatures as they relate to water and for cold, cool, warm, and hot temperatures as they relate to air

Please ask your child regularly to tell you what time it is using an analogue clock. Ask your him/her questions such as: “How many minutes have passed since 2:00?” and “How many minutes will it take to get to 3:00?”.

Language

We are almost finished with Descriptive writing. We had a great time describing our classroom pumpkin and our Pop Rocks. Our final project will be to create a Missing Dog Poster. The children will create an actual poster with large print and bright colours. They will describe their missing dog using the features that are important when writing a descriptive piece of writing. I will be sending some of their descriptive writing home soon. Please note that I do sometimes write comments on their writing pieces. This is for the students, but it is also for you so that you know how your child is doing and what steps they can take to improve their writing. The next style of writing that we will focus on is Persuasive Writing.

Science

We have almost completed our Structures unit in Science. We will be having a test before Christmas. I will soon be sending home their Science duo-tangs along with information on what they will need to study for this test.

Religion

We will be entering the season of Advent this week. We will have weekly Advent Liturgies in the gym with the rest of the school. We will be talking a lot about the birth of Christ in class and reading Bible stories along with other Christmas stories.

Angel Tree

We have kicked off our annual Angel Tree Campaign. If you would like your child to pick an angel from the tree in order to purchase a gift for a child in need, please give your child permission in his/her agenda or fill out the permission form on the email that was sent out with regard to the Angel Tree Campaign.

Monday, November 26, 2018

Next Monday we will be having a test on what we have learned in our patterning unit over the last few weeks. Specifically, the test will cover:

repeating patterns in which two or more attributes are changing

creating and extending repeating, growing and shrinking patterns

identifying patterns on numbers lines

identifying pattern rules

identifying patterns on hundreds charts

using tables to help solve patterning problems

identifying fact families for addition and subtraction

solving patterning word problems

We will be doing a "Check In" this week which we will take up together and students can study at home. The check in will be different from the test this time, but will cover the same information. Using Prodigy this week will also help to study! Good luck!

We will also be doing some EQAO questions to assess students this week as well. These questions are taken directly from old EQAO tests, and are a great way to practice!

Monday, November 12, 2018

The science unit that we are currently learning about at school is Strong and Stable Structures. As part of this unit, the children are being asked to do a simple research project at home over the next week. This will be in place of their regular homework assignment.

We have been researching a variety of famous structures around the world and where they can be found. For this assignment, the children will be asked to research one famous structure that they will present to the class. This research can be typed or written and placed on a large piece of bristle board. On the back of this letter are some questions that the children are asked to look for. They should have a mix of written work and pictures to show and present to the class.

I will not be assessing the actual project, however, I will be assessing the oral presentation. Below is a rubric that I will be using as a guide to assess the children on their oral presentation. The children will also be assessed on how they are as audience members. We will discuss oral presentations and what is expected here at school as well. The children are allowed to use cue cards if they choose to do so. Please sign and send the rubric back to school after you have read it.

Please have your child bring their poster to school on Monday, November 19th. We will begin presentations, a few at a time, that week.

Thank you!
Mr. Pouliot

Project : Research a Famous Structure

Find out more about a world famous structure. Your structure is _____________________.
Design a poster with drawings and descriptions to share what you find out.
1. Where can your structure be found?
2. What purpose was it built for?
3. What is it used for now?
4. What city and country can your structure be found in?
5. How big is your structure? What are its measurements?
6. Is there a reason why your structure is shaped the way it is?
7. When was your structure built?
8. What is your structure famous for?
9. Share some interesting facts about your structure.
10. Is there any other information that you would like to share with your audience?
Good Luck!

Below is a copy of the rubric that I will be using as a guide to assess the children on their “Famous Structure” presentation. They will also be assessed on how they are as audience members. The expectations from the curriculum that I will be addressing through the presentation are:

-choose a variety of appropriate words and phrases, including descriptive words and some technical vocabulary, and a few elements of style, to communicate their meaning accurately and engage the interest of their audience
-use a variety of appropriate visual aids (their poster and the pictures on their poster)
-identify some non-verbal cues, including facial expression, gestures, and eye contact, and use them in oral communications, appropriately, to help convey their meaning
-communicate orally in a clear, coherent manner, presenting ideas, opinions, and information in a logical sequence
The children are allowed to use cue cards if they choose to do so. Please send this rubric back to school after you have read and signed it.

Important Dates

About Me

Thank you for visiting our class blog. I am very pleased to be teaching your child this year. I have been teaching for almost twenty years now, not all in Canada. I have taught in Japan, Korea, Bermuda and briefly in Switzerland. I have been teaching on and off with our board for about 12 years. This is my 5th year at St. Anne. I am married and have two daughters who provide me with an education every day! I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, writing, playing guitar and woodworking. I am a firm believer that every child can learn. Like everything else, it just takes work, and finding what works best for each person.